Nat-Sciver Brunt's re-imagining the 360, carving the space between her leg stump and the keeper's reach, paddling, reversing on her way to victory. Saika Ishaque, left out from East Zone, tossing the ball up, snaffling Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath in one over. Harmanpreet's diving single-hander slip catch against UP Warriorz, off Hayley Matthews. Matthews being Matthews in every game...
This is what competitive cricket action does. Separate itself from whatever is roiling and boiling around the event and have hearts 'n' minds dive into the instant. Smelt men's cricket and women's cricket together into that larger much-loved entity called Cricket. But of course, there is a difference between the men's game and the women's, the matter of power and speed instinctively identifiable. Except once the brain and the eye switch frequencies, the comparison fades and we settle into women's cricket and savour. At WPL, we discover again that the women's cricket frequency operates via lower heating and decibel levels. What comes through is in no way less authentic.
Women's cricket appeals to the aesthetic form with the bat and trajectory, loop, dip and swerve with the ball. (What it does not require are WPL boundaries between 42-45m so chivalrously offered this season.) The WPL also showed that the women's game is also responding to the athletic requirements of the day-fielding, diving, catching. The 80m six is no longer an anomaly and Wong & Sisters strive to race across the 130kph barrier. There haven't been enough accurate speed guns around the women's game, but as of today, the fastest ball bowled by a woman was Shabnam Ismail's 128kph rocket in the Women's ICC T20 World Cup semi-final versus England.
This story is from the March 28, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 28, 2023 edition of Hindustan Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Palestinian PM Resigns Citing 'New Reality' Of War In Gaza
The United States and other powers have called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of all Palestinian territories after the end of war
Future Perfect: The Kids Are All Right
Gill and Jurel hold out promise by simplifying a challenging chase to help India seal series
Akshay feels 'blessed' to have worked with OG Ramayan cast
Director Akshay K Agarwal shot a music video, Humare Ram Aaye Hai, with the cast of the 1987 TV show, Ramayanactors Arun Govil, Dipika Chikhlia and Sunil Lahri - in Ayodhya recently.
Musk's firm gets nod for Sat Net; joins Jio, Bharti
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has been allowed to offer satellite broadband services in India, two officials aware of the development said.
A temple, 169 years in the making
Through decades of design and reworks, hurdles in engineering and construction, HT pieces together how the grandeur of the Ram Temple was reclaimed
'Political interference' forces Vihari to quit Andhra cricket
After Andhra bowed out of the Ranji Trophy at the quarter-final stage with a four-run defeat to Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Monday, senior batter Hanuma Vihari launched a scathing attack on the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), saying he will never turn up for the state again.
Shafali, Kapp lead Capitals to a 9-wicket win over Warriorz
A blazing fifty by Shafali Verma (64₹, 43 balls) helped Delhi Capitals make a mockery of a target of 120 and open their account in the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Making 'unbelievable things believable', the Ayhika way
The India No. 7 was an inspired pick for the world team event and she repaid the faith, beating the Chinese world No.1
'Connected TVs to reach 45 mn by 2024-end in India'
With improvement in broadband penetration, Indian households are increasingly opting for connected or addressable TVs.
India chip strategy makes progress as $21 billion in proposals received
The Indian government, after years of watching from the sidelines of the chips race, now has to evaluate $21 billion of semiconductor proposals and divvy up taxpayer support between foreign chipmakers, local champions or some combination of the two.
